Whipping Up A Quick NPC Omelet

And no, we're not talking about serving up omelets for each of your favorite NPCs. We're talking about a quick recipe that'll get you making living NPCs on the fly. We believe that any NPC can have deep and meaningful relationships with your party without much prep!

Glyph Wardens (that's us) uses our rapport system to track how your party relates to an NPC. You can use this system in your roleplaying game while waiting for Glyph Wardens to release! We'll outline four quick steps to whip up an NPC on the fly.

First, let's set the scene.

I Need an NPC, Fast!

So your party walks into a village beside the Bloodmist Forest to stock up on supplies. You start sweating! This village didn't even exist until your party went looking for it today!

Just play it cool; you got this. Wait for them to initiate. They'll most likely be looking for information or a transaction.

The party enters a nearby inn and scans the room for anyone interesting while waiting for their food. You tell them

"A small circus troupe lounges at the table near the fire, their bright colors and gold thread warmly illuminated by the flames."

Then, you immediately curse yourself for thinking of something so definitive. They waltz right up to the troupe and introduce themselves. Now what?!

Breathe a sigh of relief. That's where our NPC recipe comes in to save the day!

Quick NPC Omelet

Step 1. Gather the Ingredients

Good news - you already have all the ingredients you need! You'll use

1. Your party's goal - gathering supplies before a perilous trek,

2. The setting - a village near the forest, and

3. Their description - a circus troupe lounging by the fire

Step 2. Start the Fire

In other words, start with some heat. First impressions are everything, and you want to make an impression. You can do this with rapport.

Think of rapport as their attitude towards the party. It fluctuates on a spectrum, ranging from loathing to adoration. Rapport quickly determines how they react to the party.

Will they extend their greeting, turn their backs to you, or get up to start a fight? This instantly adds some warmth to the character without thinking of an entire backstory.

We use the list below. The numbers indicate rapport points. You don't have to worry about those. Just use them as an indication of how separate the emotions are.

1. Loathing (-10)

2. Hostile (-5)

3. Guarded (-2)

4. Apathetic (0)

5. Genial (+2)

6. Interested (+5)

7. Respectful (+10)

8. Affectionate (+20)

9. Adoring (+30)

Don't know what to pick? Let's take a hint from your description. You said that they were lounging near the fire. That means they're probably at ease, so pick apathetic or genial.

If they were huddled, they might be guarded. If they hailed your party when they entered, they're interested. You get the picture.

Let's pick genial. They are performers, after all. You tell the party

"Well met! I'm Arnold. This is Sydney and Elektra. Come join us by the fire. Tell us your tale."

(Yes, those are names I just vomited out as I wrote it. Names can be silly/weird/funny - it doesn't matter - don't overthink it! The shorter, the better. The weirder, the easier to remember! Just be sure to write the names down!)

Arnold's story request gives you precious time to think through the next step!

Step 3. Add the Butter

Add the NPC's descriptor. This is the fat. It greases the pan, creating a beautiful marriage between rapport and motivation. It also adds depth of flavor!

Descriptors are behavior traits, such as proud, curious, or daring. They can instantly tell you how they'd react to pretty much anything.

1. Proud

   1. Enjoys flattery

   2. Dislikes condescension

2. Curious

   1. Enjoys knowledge

   2. Dislikes transactional language

3. Daring

   1. Enjoys adventure

   2. Dislikes by-the-book

Just keep a short list of 5 available. Cross one off as you use it, and add another later! Try to use their descriptor in the NPC's response to the character's first or second question. This will give your party an idea of their personality and how to approach them.

Let's choose Daring for Arnold. He responds to their tale with

"Ah, sounds like yours will be a story for the ages! Would that we could join you in your tale! Alas, our fate lies further south."

Aha! You've touched on their daring behavior and dipped into their motivation - good work! All of these steps blend together to make an excellent dish. Speaking of, it's time for the final step!

Step 4. Add the Eggs, Salt, and Cook it Up!

This takes the most time and is what you continue to work on as your NPC develops. Determine their motivations.

NPCs are real people, too. Yes, not really, but you get what I mean.

Don't treat them like a quest-giver with an exclamation point over their head. Their motivations breathe life into them, separate from your party. It's fantastic when their motivations conflict or parallel yours, but that's a recipe for another time.

Just like in real life, you won't ask everyone you meet to find your lost family heirloom. At least, I hope you don't.

Anyways. Stop treating NPCs like blocks of intro text and a quest. Your party will thank you.

Let's say they take the bait and ask what's further south. You boldly proclaim

"Our patron has summoned us to his summer house! We await the rest of our troupe before heading there. They should be exiting the forest, well, today hopefully..."

And there you have it! You've used the setting to pull in their possible motivation. You don't even have a fleshed-out story yet, but you've given your NPC a great start with a solid recipe.

Your party knows that the NPC is open to them, enjoys adventure, and a possible lead as they head into the forest.

But it's not forced onto them. The initial conversation doesn't always have to end in a lead. In fact, long-term NPCs do better to offer your party something! But that, too, is a tale for another time.

What's Next

There is so much more to come!

You can use this recipe for a full-flavored omelet any day. The biggest thing to remember is to treat them like people, too.

When you're ready to try a more challenging dish that requires a little prep work (but totally worth it!), visit us again in a few days to read our next post!

Deception, factions, hidden descriptions, social cues, and more! While we cook up the next post, dig into our Social Overview to see a short example played out!

If you like what you're reading, sharing our ideas with a friend is the greatest honor you can bestow! See you in the next one!